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Blockage

On Tuesday Oct. 8. Sadie my 18 month old chessie started vomiting. we took her into our vet who gave her some anti vomit injection and fluids and sent her home with some instructions well the next day things went from bad to worse. On Thursday I drove her over to the emergency vet in Traverse. They admitted Sadie did all kinds of tests and x-rays ultra sound and other stuff. They came back and said she had pancreatitis. I was able to pick her up on Sunday. she wasnít completely back to herself but seemed to be getting better. On Monday things took a turn for the worst again vomiting and lethargic. We started treating her at our local vet for pancreatitis. we would take her in every day for anti vomiting injection and fluids and she seemed to be getting better everyday. Well Friday my wife took her in for that fluids and anti vomit and she vomited all over the vets office, truck and and at home. We were done. At this point things became very hard for us we werenít sure what else to do. We had already spent a lot of money on Sadie through this ordeal. and with no improvement we werenít sure if she would have a very good quality of life with all the damage that may be done to her system. Well I left work early not sure what we were going to do. Well we made the long drive to Michigan State University yesterday. We got her down there and they didnít waste anytime. more tests, more x-rays, and low and behold a partial blockage. I had asked our vet the t/c vet if it was possible a blockage they said no we did x-rays there is nothing there. Well by 8 pm last night Sadie was in surgery. At 10 pm we were told the blockage was a tennis ball. and everything looks great and she should make a full recovery. Now back to the tennis ball. We donít keep tennis balls at our house because of this reason. We have know idea where it came from or how she got it. We are thankful and still cautiously optimistic that she will make a full recovery. If something like this ever happens to us again we are not going to play games with local vets anymore our first stop will be MSU. Hopefully none of you will ever have to go through this, but dogs find thins we try to provide our dogs with only toys that are made for dogs and to watch them while they have them but shit happens and she found a tennis ball somewhere.

I have never understood why you can have the best trained dogs in the world, but when you put two dogs together the act like they have a half a brain between the both of them.

Sorry you had to go through this. Dogs being dogs, find things to eat that do them harm. I've lost one lab to this and have had two others get cut open and blockages removed that didn't show up on an x-ray.

Truthfully, I'd look for a vet who is used to retrievers.

Howard NiemiYou really gotta be careful about how high a pedestal you put your method, your accomplishments, your dog on. There's usually someone who's done more, somewhere. And they may have used a different method than you did! Chris Atkinson 2013

I live 15 minutes from an emergency vet and and hour and 40 minutes from MSU Emergency Vet Clinic. I would take my chances and make the drive to Lansing any day. They are awesome and have saved my dogs more than once. Can't say enough good things about them.

Hope your dog will make a complete recovery and be good as new. We are fortunate in that the State Veterinary School is about 30 minutes from us and my regular vet (who is also on the board of the emergency vet clinic) is an alumna. My vet has never hesitated to do initial testing, but if diagnosis is not crystal clear, refer us to the vet school as needed. I think that is what is desired with any good general animal practice.

I just went through the same thing not two long ago. I was in my barn and saw one running out with a tennis ball and have never owned a ball. Must have been my nephews ball
Went to garage and one dog was laying by the door with a shreeded aluminum can and mouth bleeding, only signs of ball were peaces of the cover.
Took both in for exrays and had surgery on the T ball victom for a blockage. I was more worried about the shreaded can. Dog wouldnt poop or eat the next day and throwing up.
It all went good with surgerey. I put a T Shirt on him to keep from messing with stiches.
Hope things work out for yours

Thanks for this thread. I would have thought that tennis balls would be radio-opaque and show up... but I guess I'd be wrong. We walk our dogs on BLM land and it's amazing how many old tennis balls these guys turn up.

I had a dog obstruct from shreds of one of those rope toy thingers. Supposed to be good for their teeth. But the cotton fibers do not show up on X-ray either. The emergency vet did the surgery and sewed him back up and he was back to normal shortly thereafter.

Now it's nylabones and even with those... if they get to the point where pieces are coming off... straight into the garbage.

I just picked my pup up from MSU. She is doing great eating again and full of life hopefully this was it. They gave me the Ball. The Ball is almost intact i cannot for the life of me even figured out how she swallowed it or even where it came from.

I have never understood why you can have the best trained dogs in the world, but when you put two dogs together the act like they have a half a brain between the both of them.